Moving On
by Chocolate-daddy
Summary: He knew he needed a change after his first love wed another. She knew she could offer him what he was searching for. Together they both find something they hadn't expected. Post Brotherhood EdxOc
1. Chapter 1

Moving On

Hello all, this is a new work that I'd been thinking about for a while and finally got around to creating. I don't plan on making it too long, just something cute. But we'll see how it goes. Tell me what you think?

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA but I do own Mearyn

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Weddings are a joyous occasion that brighten the moods of everyone who attends, but not all of the guests were in a celebrating kind of mood at the beautiful wedding taking place in Resembool on that crisp spring afternoon. Edward Elric gazed down at his empty glass of whiskey with a small frown playing at his lips. He was trying to enjoy himself, but it was hard to have a good time when the woman he loved was dancing with another man. Winry's smile was radiant as she waltzed around the room with her husband Jared...or was his name Jason? Ed couldn't remember, but that was besides the point. That was supposed to be him out there dancing with Winry. He was supposed to be the one waiting for her at the end of the aisle, not the one walking her down it. She'd always be the one that got away and he'd always just be her best friend. He'd have to settle for that. While he was brooding, he hadn't noticed someone take the seat next to him.

"You look miserable." said a smooth voice.

He peered at the voice's owner, he couldn't recognize her. But that wouldn't stop him from snapping back at her.

"Well what's it to you?"

The woman chuckled and it sounded almost like a bell.

"Just making an observation," she replied with a shrug, "you know, it's not good to drink alone."

Before Ed could say anything, the woman replaced the empty glass in his hand with a full one. She held up her own glass, tapped it against his, and took a swig of her drink. Not wanting to be out done, he took a drink and let the strong flavor burn and scratch his throat.

"How'd you know what I was drinking?" he asked.

"I've been to a lot of weddings, I know what a depressed looking guy usually drinks at a wedding."

"I'm not depressed."

"Could have fooled me," she scoffed, "if you're not depressed when what are you?"

He set his glass down and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not anything..."

_Cause that definitely didn't sound depressing. _

As if she'd just read his mind she said, "That wasn't depressing or anything."

Ed scowled. "Did you just come over here to bug me?"

She ignored his question and replied with her own. "So what's got you so upset?"

"None of your business."

It sounded childish, but he didn't care. This woman was starting to grate his nerves.

"When your frowning starts to distract me, it becomes my business." She elbowed him slightly and offered him a small smile. "I'm a good listener you know."

He couldn't help but stare at her, she looked so different with a smile. When she'd first arrived, he hadn't noticed anything spectacular about her. She'd blend into a crowd with ease. But a smile revealed a pair of dimples on her pale cheeks and her round green eyes seemed to have a new sparkle in them. She was pretty, in a quirky sort of way. She cleared her throat and the noise snapped Ed out of his daze. He hadn't realized how long he'd been silently staring at her. To his chagrin, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment and he whipped his head around to look away.

"...I used to be in a relationship with the bride." he grumbled under his breath.

She leaned in, letting him get a whiff of her floral perfume. It was intoxicating. "Excuse me?"

Ed sighed. "I used to be in a relationship with the bride."

"Oh so you're the infamous Edward Elric."

"Infamous?"

She shook her head. "I've heard about you from Winry. So I take it you still have feelings for her?"

He took a drink. "I guess, not much I can do about it now. She's married now."

"Well if you've got such strong feelings for her, why'd you let her go?" she asked.

A scowl settled onto his features. "I just wasn't around, I travel a lot and for a while Winry accepted it and everything was fine, but I guess it got to be too much. I can't blame her for that though."

"It sounds like it's your fault."

Ed glared at her. "You think I don't know that?"

He sighed and averted his attention to the happy couple. Winry's smile was still going strong and that in turn helped ease his irritation.

"I just want her to be happy..."

She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "And trust me, Jason is making her happy. And I know you'll always have a special place in her heart."

"That's good, I swear if he hurts her though I'll kick his ass. How do you know Winry anyway? I feel like I would have heard of you or something."

The woman laughed while hoisting herself up. She tipped her head back, finishing her drink in one gulp. She grimaced before handing him the glass.

"I've got to go, but it was nice chatting with you. I'm sure we'll meet again."

Without answering him she walked away, blending into the crowd.

"That was strange, I didn't get her name though."

Wanting a change of scenery, Ed set the two glasses on the table and made his way outside. He sucked in a deep breath, the fresh air helping to clear his head. He hadn't been home in a while now that he thought about it, he'd just been so caught up with his travels and work that it'd slipped his mind. The door from the reception hall opened and he peered over his shoulder to see his younger brother.

"What are you doing out here Ed?" Al asked.

"Just getting some fresh air."

Al nudged him. "I saw you talking to a pretty girl."

"She was irritating if anything, I guess she knows Winry though."

"Oh you don't know who she is?" he asked.

"No am I supposed to or something?"

"You were talking to Mearyn Lorell, she's a famous pianist from Central. I'm surprised you haven't heard of her." Al explained as though it were common knowledge.

"Piano isn't really my thing. What the heck is she doing here?"

"She's also Winry's new sister-in-law."

Ed's face fell. If Mearyn is Winry's sister-in-law then that means he...

"Oh jeez, I just threatened to beat up Winry's husband."

Al stared for a moment to see if he was telling a joke, but Ed made no indication otherwise causing him to bend over to let out a hearty laugh. The older Elric frowned.

"I don't see what's so funny."

It took Al a moment to regain his composure, he even had to wipe a small tear from his eye.

"Sorry brother, but it's pretty funny. You'd better hope Winry doesn't find out though, she'd slug you for sure." he warned.

A chill rolled down Ed's spine at the thought of Winry and her trusty wrench. He touched his head, hoping to avoid getting another bump.

"Ugh don't remind me, I haven't been hit with that damn wrench of hers in ages and I don't plan on having it happen again anytime soon."

"Well lucky for you she'll be gone for a while on her honeymoon."

"Cause that's such a blessing." Ed huffed.

Al frowned. "Brother, you can't be hung up on that for the rest of your life. If it was meant to be then it would have happened. And besides, we're at her wedding. You should be happy for her."

"Yeah yeah, trust me I already got this talk from... what's her name again? Mary?"

"Mearyn."

"Yeah from Mearyn and I definitely don't need to hear it again," he sighed, "I'll get over it."

Al clapped him hard on the shoulder and smiled. "You'll find someone, I know it. You're getting a little old now that I think about it, time for you to settle down." he teased.

Ed rolled his eyes. "Oh please, I'm only twenty six. I don't need to settle down."

"A lot of people already have kids by your age." he pointed out.

"Whatever... and who are you to talk Al? I don't see you with a girl. You're not holding out on me are you?"

"Of course not brother, I've been very busy in Xing is all." he answered with a laugh.

"Mhmm, sure."

They stood together in silence for a short moment until Al spoke up again. "Where are you going to do next?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, probably to Central. I've got some work to do there."

"Be sure to send me your address so I can send you letters."

Al waved to his brother before returning to the wedding reception. Ed watched him go and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his slacks. What _was _he going to do? For a long time all he did was travel, researching various chemicals or doing other odd jobs while staying with friends. But he couldn't travel for the rest of his life and he hadn't been able to perform alchemy for a while now. What could he do?

He sighed and made his way back to the reception.

"I guess we'll see if Central has anything new to offer."

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SO what'd you think? Did you love it or hate it? Should I keep going with this? Hopefully I portrayed the Elrics, but I mean they're quite a few years older than the last time we saw then in Brotherhood. HA. What about Mearyn? Is she annoying? Hook a sister up with some reviews. And in the meantime I will start on chapter two. Thanks guys!


	2. Chapter 2

Moving On

So here we are again, here is chapter two. Thank you for reading and reviewing. Check down at the bottom for replies. Not much else to say other than enjoy this chapter. Also thanks to **I Am Alys **for catching a mistake I made, I appreciate it.

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA but I do own Mearyn and Jason

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_Ed smiled down happily at his bride as he carried her to the large enticing bed in the middle of their bedroom. Stunning blue eyes gazed back up at him and he couldn't imagine any other place he'd rather be. He dropped her gently onto the bed and without giving her a second to recover, crawled on top of her and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. This is the part he'd been waiting for all day, when he could finally consummate his marriage with the love of his life. She reached up and cupped his cheek. _

_ "Ed, I love you so much." She murmured. _

_ "I love you too Winry." _

_ He leaned in and began placing soft feathery kisses against her jaw line, trailing them down her neck. Winry shifted underneath him and practically purred his name. He could feel her body trembling._

_ "Oh Ed." _

_ "Ed." _

_ "Ed.  
_"ED!"

"Ah!"

Ed yelped and shot straight up in his bed, groaning when a sharp pain came from his head. He rubbed his forehead, he may have had one drink too many last night at the wedding and was definitely feeling the repercussions of that decision. He noticed Al standing there while a knowing smile. _What the hell Al? I was just getting to the good part. _Al held out a navy blue button down shirt which Ed accepted begrudgingly. After getting in a good stretch, he swung his legs around and got out of bed.

"What are you doing here Al?"

"I came to get you for breakfast." he replied.

He hastily pulled his night shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor.

"I would have been down eventually."

"But then you would have missed the performance."

Ed started buttoning up his shirt. "Performance?"

Al nodded. "Yeah, I heard from Pinako that Mearyn would be playing down at the inn."

He huffed and tugged his black trousers onto his legs. They were wrinkled from spending the night on the floor.

"I don't get why everyone is getting all hyped up over some lady and a piano."

Rolling his eyes, Al crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't be like that brother, this is a real treat. How often do you get to hear a famous pianist, in Resembool of all places?"

"If you say so."

After Ed tied his hair into a pony tail and had his boots on, they walked down the stairs of the Rockbell home where old lady Pinako was waiting for them. She leaned on her cane as she watched the two boys...well men, coming towards her. When they were in striking distance, Pinako struck Ed's leg.

"Ow, what the heck was that for?" he snapped.

"I let you into my house and what do I get? You make me wait on your sorry behind."

Ed rolled his eyes. "Oh please, it's not going to be that big of a deal."

They locked up the house and began the quick journey into town. It took longer than usual because of Pinako and her cane, Ed wished he could just pick her up and carry her because hunger was beginning to settle into his belly and he was dying for some breakfast. When they arrived at the local inn where the little 'recital' was taking place, Ed was taken aback at how packed the place was. It's as if every single resident was there.

"Oh yeah, it's definitely not going to be a big deal." Al teased.

Before Ed could reply, a loud voice rang out. "Hey you guys, over here!"

They all whipped around to see Winry standing on a chair, waving her arms around frantically. After some quick maneuvering through the mass of people, they joined her at the table. Ed had to hold back a frown, Jason was there too. And it was as if God was mocking him because the only seat available was next to Winry. It made him slightly uncomfortable, especially after the dream he'd had the night before.

"Isn't this exciting?" Winry asked, "I've never heard her play before."

"Piano isn't really my thing." Ed said.

Jason jumped in. "I'm with you on that, I've had to listen to Mearyn play at least a thousand times. It gets tiring."

"Well isn't your life hard." Ed quipped, earning a kick under the table and a sharp look from Al.

Winry cleared her throat. "Well, we went a head and ordered a bunch of food for the table. I figured we could just share."

"That was a good idea, we would have never gotten our food because sleeping beauty over here took his sweet time getting up this morning." Pinako explained, gesturing to Ed.

"Oh come on, I didn't even take that long."

A round of chuckles went around the table.

"So are you all going with us to the train station after this?" Jason asked.

"What's at the station?" Ed eyed him out of the corner of his eye.

"We're leaving for our honeymoon after this." he answered.

"Uhh I don't really-"

Al cut him off. "We'll definitely be there."

Winry smiled. "That's great, it's going to be great. I don't even know where we're going."

"It's a surprise, but I know she'll like it." Jason explained.

She giggled and swatted at his arm. "You're so sweet."

Winry leaned over and pressed a kiss against Jason's cheek. Ed wanted to roll his eyes, but restrained himself for fear of getting another kick from Al. For some reason everyone was aiming for his non-automail leg today.

"Order seventy six!"

"That's us," Winry said, pushing away from the table with a ticket in hand, "come with me Ed."

"Yeah, sure."

He joined Winry and together they walked up to the front counter. She touched his arm after handing off their ticket.

"Hey Ed, I just wanted to say thank you." she said.

"Hm? For what?"

"For being so supportive of me," she offered him a soft smile, "I know this is all probably hard for you. We didn't exactly end our relationship the way you would have wanted, but it really means a lot to me that you're here. And I mean it when I say you're a brother to me."

Ed threw an arm over her shoulder. "Come on Winry, don't get all sappy on me."

She chuckled and shook her head. "I'm being serious Ed, I'm grateful to you."

"Well it's nothing so don't worry about it, I want to be here. But if he ever gives you any trouble then you'd better tell me." he warned.

"You don't have to worry about that, he makes me really happy."

When their food was presented on two large trays, Winry fished for some money from her pocket but Mary; the owner of the inn, shook her head.

"It's on the house, think of it as a wedding present." she winked.

"Thank you so much, that's so nice."

Together they delivered the food to their table and Ed loaded up his plate with eggs, bacon, and plenty of potatoes. He dug into his breakfast, but half way into his third bite he realized that the room had gotten usually quiet. It'd been pretty loud just a moment ago with multiple conversations going on. He looked around until he found the source of everyone's attention. Mearyn had just appeared from downstairs, her hair still damp from a shower. She waved her hand in dismissal.

"Don't mind me everyone, go back to eating." she said.

But no one; except for Ed, made a move towards their plates as she took a seat at the piano bench. She turned around to face the group.

"No seriously, eat or I won't play."

People chuckled and gradually returned to their breakfasts, but still no one spoke. Ed could hear her crack her knuckles before beginning to play. The sound coming from the piano surprised him, he was expecting something heavy and depressing but instead Mearyn's music was light and sweet. Something one would expect to hear at a family gathering. He took a moment to take a look at everyone at the table, Granny, Al, Winry, and as much as he didn't want to admit it but Jason too, they were all apart of his family. And he was glad that he had this chance to spend some time together before they all went their separate ways again. The music was perfect for the occasion and when she finished the song, he had to admit that she was good. Better than good, she was great. But he wasn't about to be telling anyone that, especially not Al, he'd never let him live it down.

...

Mearyn couldn't hold back a smile as she played, it'd been awhile since she played something she wanted too. She was used to playing stuffy music; which she enjoyed, but it was nice doing something different. And the way the people were reacting was great, they seemed truly overjoyed and after a song or two they returned to their conversations, but softer than before so the music could still be heard. The piano she was playing on was something she wasn't used to, it was older and obviously hadn't been used in awhile, but she managed to get along just fine. But to her embarrassment, her stomach growled loudly and she was glad she was the only one who heard it. She hadn't had a chance to grab a bite to eat, she took too long in the shower and ran behind schedule. As if someone was reading her mind, Mary pressed a hand against her shoulder after she finished a song.

"Take a break and eat something." she said and held out a plate of food.

"Oh you are a savior."

She accepted the food and stood up from the bench, her eyes scanning the room for an open table, but when she spotted Winry's shiny blond ponytail, she made her way over. And while there wasn't a chair available, she'd rather stand than sit alone.

"Hi Mearyn." Jason said, scooting over so she had some space.

She set her food on the table before kneeling down on the ground and digging in. She was starving.

"That was really great Mearyn, I can't believe I haven't heard you play until now." Winry gushed.

"Yeah I've heard you on the radio once or twice but it's so much better hearing you in person." said a young man who's name she didn't know.

He must have noticed the confusion on her face because he held out his hand, "Oh sorry, my name's Alphonse Elric, it's nice to meet you."

She reached out and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too Alphonse."

Mearyn looked to the left and saw the man she was drinking with at the wedding. Pulling off some crust from her toast, she tossed it at him and it landed on his plate. He frowned at her.

"So what'd you think?" she asked.

"Yeah Ed, what'd you think?" Al joined in with a mischievous smirk.

He cleared his throat. "Uh it was good."

Al laughed and Ed shot him a glare, picking up the crust she'd thrown and sending it at Al.

"Will you boys stop it before you make a mess?" Pinako barked.

They both immediately stopped and guilty expressions appeared on their faces. Mearyn realized how similar the two of them looked.

"Are you guys related?" she asked, gesturing at them both with her fork.

"Yeah, Al's my younger brother." Ed explained.

"I've known these boys since they were tiny little things." Pinako said with a smile.

Mearyn nodded and started eating again while everyone else chatted amongst themselves. It was nice seeing everyone in such a lighthearted mood at a meal, meals with her family were on the opposite end of the scale. While this was fun and loud, family meals at the Lorell house were stiff and quiet, the only time someone spoke was when they needed something passed. It was a refreshing change of pace.

Jason looked at his watch. "Oh we'd better get going, our train leaves in a little bit."

"Are you going to come with us Mearyn?" Winry asked.

"To your honeymoon? Ew no."

Winry flushed. "No that's not what I meant! Are you going to see us off at the station?"

"Oh sure, I can go."

They pushed away from their chairs and Jason placed twenty Cenz on the table. Pinako decided against going with them and stayed at the inn. They walked together towards the train station with the happy couple leading the way.

"So Mearyn, is this your first time in Resembool?" Al asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, to tell you the truth I didn't even know this place exsisted."

"You'd be surprised how many times I've heard that," Al chuckled, "so what do you think of it?"

"I like it, I think it's cute. There are a ton of sheep though and they kind of smell."

"One of the many perks of being a sheep herding town." Ed added.

The rest of the walk to the train station was spent in a comfortable silence and Mearyn took this chance to look around Resembool. It really was a cute little town, everyone was nice and the air was clean, much nicer than Central which was always so busy. For some reason she thought the colors here were brighter, she couldn't explain it. It was like someone removed a filter from her eyes when she arrived. Before she knew it, they were at the train station and Winry and Jason were getting ready to board their train. Her brother pulled her into a warm embrace before patting her head.

"It really means a lot to me that you came out here Mearyn." he said.

She grinned. "You don't really think I'd miss my own brother's wedding do you?"

He chuckled. "Of course not."

"I bet mom and dad would have loved the wedding." she added, but she knew better.

Her parents were against the wedding from the very beginning. They didn't want their only son to be marrying some common girl when he could have married a woman from another wealthy family. As far as they were concerned, Winry had ruined their plans for their son and therefor would have nothing to do with the two of them.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Yeah right."

He gave her one last hug before hopping on the train. Ed, Mearyn, and Al waved as the train pulled away from the station and Mearyn stole a look at the oldest Elric brother. She felt for him, this had to be hard for him to handle. Even though he was wearing a brave face, his eyes gave away the sadness he felt. She bumped him with her hip causing him to stumble.

"Well if you guys aren't doing anything, you should show me around Resembool." she said.

Al said yes just as Ed said no. They both looked at each other before sharing a small laugh, which made Mearyn smile. It was nice watching the two brothers, they seemed to share a very strong bond. She decided this would be a good distraction for Ed, she almost felt like she was taking him under her wing. Thinking of it as a small project, she was going to help him move on from the pretty blond girl. Mearyn scratched her chin and huffed.

_What am I? A mother hen?!_

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**I Am Alys: **Thanks for reviewing, I appreciate it. And Mearyn is pronounced like this MARE- IN

Thanks for reading everyone, leave me a review and tell me what you think and I'll get back to you.


	3. Chapter 3

Moving On

So this ended up taking me close to three weeks to write, not because if was a difficult chapter or anything like that. It's just that my finals were kicking my ass so I've been really busy with that. So my apologies for taking so stinkin long and also if this chapter is a little incoherent since it was sporadically written. Also excuse any grammar mistakes, I do the best I can. And finally thank you to **I Am Alys **and **nhaer042 **for leaving reviews as well as to everyone who has read and favorited.

Enjoy this chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA, only Mearyn.

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Mearyn sighed as stared out the window of the train watching the scenery pass by, she was bored. She'd been on the train from Resembool to Central for maybe an hour and was ready to cry from boredom. It didn't help that Ed and Al; who happened to be leaving for Central on the same day, had left the compartment and had yet to return. They claimed to be searching for food even though Pinako had sent a basket of sandwiches with them for the trip. She was actually a little sad about leaving, she'd really enjoyed visiting the small sheep herding town. Everyone was very sweet and everything there had a fresh feeling to it, even breathing seemed nicer in Resembool. She really appreciated the two weeks she was able to spend there. Sighing again, Mearyn looked around the compartment. There was nothing spectacular about it, two benches sitting across from one another with racks above them. She noticed a newspaper sitting on Ed's coat and reached for it. While she wasn't much of a reader, looking through the paper was better than simply looking out the window.

**'A New Collection Found In Central' **

The large headline caught Mearyn's eye as she flipped through the newspaper and after reading the story, a frown settled onto her features. These 'collections' had been showing up in Central, but they weren't nearly as pleasant as one would hope. In the past three months, at least four of the collections had appeared and it was beginning to disturb her because it was all happening in the city she lived in and it seemed as though nothing was being done.

"Anything interesting in the paper?"

Mearyn jumped, not expecting anyone to speak. She looked up and watched as Ed and Al entered the compartment, sitting across from her with bottles of water in hand.

"Uh nothing too exciting I guess." she shrugged.

"Well you were frowning when we walked in, must be something." Al pointed out.

"It's not that big of a deal. There's been a couple of murders in Central, someone is kidnapping prostitutes and killing them, but when they dump the bodies they are dressed in some of the finest clothes I've ever seen. I mean this person isn't pulling any stops, I read that the women's hair and make up is done too. When the police force finally put it together that it was the same person doing this, the papers took to calling them Collections and I guess they just found another one while we were in Resembool." she explained.

"Do you mind if I read it?" Ed asked.

She passed the paper to him. His eyes darted back and forth as he quickly scanned through the article before handing it to Al who had been reading over his shoulder. She was surprised at how fast he read.

"You should be more careful while you're in Central Mearyn, this sounds dangerous." Ed said.

"Why? Prostitutes are the ones who are being kidnapped."

"That doesn't matter-"

Mearyn cut him off, "Are you saying I'm a prostitute?"

Ed flushed. "What?! No, that's not what I said."

Al chuckled and shook his head. "He is right though Mearyn, you should be careful if you're out by yourself, just because this person usually takes prostitutes doesn't mean they can't take you."

She waved them off. "I think you two are looking too far into this, the chances of me being kidnapped are slim. Nothing is going to happen to me so don't freak out over it."

"If you say so," Al passed her a water bottle, "so what are you going to do when we get to Central?" he asked.

"I've got a performance in a few days so I definitely need to practice, I was definitely slacking while I was in Resembool." She rubbed the back of her neck.

"Oh that sounds fun." he said with a polite smile.

"Well how long are you going to be in Central Al?" she asked.

"I'm leaving on Friday."

Mearyn grinned. "Lucky for you then, the performance is on Thursday. Do you want to come?"

"I would love to, I've never gone to a formal piano recital before." Al gushed.

She turned to Ed. "You're welcome to come too."

"Yeah sure, I'll come too."

"Great."

She fished around her bag until she found a note pad and a small pencil. She wrote down the address of the hotel they were staying in and just as she was putting the note pad away, her stomach let out a loud rumble. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and she shrugged.

"So uh, how about we break into those sandwiches." she suggested.

They all dug into the basket and selected their sandwiches. Not waiting for either of them, Mearyn dug into her meal and had to suppress a sigh. She'd been hungrier than she thought. No one spoke while they ate, only the sound of chewing rang out in the compartment, but in no time they finished their food and Mearyn realized she was back at square one. She was bored. As if he'd read her mind, Ed huffed.

"I hate train rides, they're so dull."

Al stood up and got into his suit case. "Good thing I came prepared."

He sat back down with a deck of cards in hand.

"Be careful Mearyn, he cheats a lot." Al warned, elbowing Ed in the side.

"I do not!" Ed cried.

Mearyn stuck her finger in his face. "I'll be watching you Elric, I've got my eyes on you."

The next hour was spent playing various card games and to Mearyn's dismay she lost a majority of them. She was never much of a card player in the first place, or at least that was the excuse she used. But she did make sure to watch Ed like a hawk just in case he decided to cheat, but as far as she could tell he hadn't. Al in the end won most of the card games they played. After the cards were packed and put away, she crossed her arms over her chest and shut her eyes. She figured there was no harm in catching up on some beauty sleep and she eventually fell asleep to the sound of the train chugging along the tracks.

Al waited until he was positive that Mearyn had fallen asleep before turning to look at Ed.

"How long will you be in Central brother?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure, why?"

"You should try and help out with those Collection murders, it's not safe and she's not taking it as seriously as she should." He nodded his heads towards the sleeping woman across from them.

Although he hadn't known her for too terribly long; only two weeks, Al had come to value Mearyn as a friend. He enjoyed her sense of humor as well as her appreciation for the arts. The thought of anything happening to her gave him chills and also brought out some particular memories of a poor little girl. He couldn't help Nina when he was younger and he'd be damned if he was going to let something happen to another one of his friends.

"They're not just going to let me on the case Al and it's not like I'm a detective anyway."

"But Ed what is something happens and you could have helped?" he dug into his brother.

"Mearyn's an adult Al, she can make her own decisions."

"That's not the point," Al snapped, "people are being killed and dressed up so someone can get off on some sick fantasy, that's not right. And Mearyn is an easy target Ed, she lives by herself and a lot of people know who she is. What if this person decides to upgrade from prostitutes and come after her? She's your friend too Ed."

"I don't know what you want me to do Al, I can't just waltz on in and make them put me on the case."

"Well you can't just sit around and do nothing, I'd stay if I could but I have to return to Xing, I've still got so much to learn and all of my things are there."

Ed sighed. "I'll try okay? I'll try..."

Al reached over and squeezed Ed's shoulder. "Thank you brother...I just don't want to see another one of our friends get hurt, that's all."

Ed smiled and simply nodded, but a moment later he groaned.

"I think I know a way to help out on the case."

"How?" Al asked.

"I'm gonna visit an old friend of ours..." he ground out.

"You're going to see him?"

"Yup. I'm going to go see Mustang."

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Hopefully it wasn't too crappy :P If you've got any questions feel free to leave a review, I like them! See you all next time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Moving On**

Not much to say. Thanks to **Vivian Marie, I Am Alys, **and **Xodiac 451 **for reviewing as well as to everyone who read. Enjoy

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA, but I do own Mearyn

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Ed tugged on his bow tie and let out an audible sigh in the stuffy auditorium. It was the night of Mearyn's performance and as promised, him and Al were in the third row wearing the sharpest tuxes they owned, the latter had a bouquet of flowers resting on his lap. While he wasn't a fan of having to get dressed up, Ed was more than aware that he looked pretty damn dashing in his tux. But he was still ready to get the show on the road, the temperature of the crowded room was beginning to rise and he didn't want to start sweating. He didn't have to wait long for his wish, minutes later the lights dimmed while the stage lights came up. Ed noticed a wide grin spread onto Al's face and he chuckled, leave it to his brother to get overly excited about a piano recital. He averted his attention back up to the stage where a large shiny black piano sat front and center. Ed could hear the click of Mearyn's heels before he actually saw her and his jaw nearly dropped when she finally stepped out onto the stage with sheets of music in hand. It was a side of her he'd definitely never seen before, he was used to seeing her in a simple shirt and pants, but she looked completely different now. She was wearing a long flowing black dress which billowed with each step she took. Her curly hair which was normally down was pulled back tight against the nape of her neck in an intricate bun and this put more of her face on display. He assumed she was wearing some sort of make up, it was her lips that really caught her attention, they were painted a bright cherry red and made the green of her eyes pop out against her pale skin. At that moment, she was the epitome of grace.

Al elbowed him in the arm. "Wow, Mearyn sure cleans up nice."

Ed cleared his throat before simply nodding. She annoyed him sometimes, but he couldn't disagree.

Mearyn took at seat at the bench and arranged her sheet music. With a look of concentration, she pressed her fingers against the keys and began to play. Even the way she played was the complete opposite of what he'd heard from her. When she played in Resembool, the tunes were playful and light where as the music she was playing at the moment was much more professional. It was still good playing though, she definitely surpassed his musical capability a hundred times over. From where him and Al were sitting, Mearyn's face was in their line of sight and Ed noticed the serenity on her features, he could tell she was doing what she loved. He inhaled through his nose and let the breath out through his mouth in a slow stream while slowly shutting his eyes. With his vision cut off, he felt as though he could better hear the music and while he was no music buff, he was really enjoying himself. He'd have to thank Al for having him come. A few moments later he felt someone shaking his shoulder. He jerked in his seat and shot a look at Al.

"What?" he whispered.

"You fell asleep and she's almost finished with her last song." Al said with a small chuckle.

Ed flushed. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely."

He had to fight back the strong urge to groan, he couldn't believe that he'd actually fallen asleep. He was simply listening with his eyes closed, no intention of falling asleep and then wham, it just sort of happened. He was grateful for the darkness of the auditorium, no one could see the tomato red tint that had spread across his cheeks. He brought his gaze back up to the stage and watched as Mearyn finished up the song she was playing with a flourish of her arms. He watched her shoulders rise and fall as she sighed before spinning around on the bench and standing up. She smiled politely as the audience began to clap and she bent at the waist in a simple bow before exiting the stage. They waited around for a few minutes as everyone filled the aisles to leave the auditorium, no sense in getting mixed up with the crowd. When they finally stepped outside, Ed stretched.

"Man that was pretty good." he said.

"But you fell asleep brother."

He frowned. "I didn't fall asleep on purpose."

"Whatever you say Ed." Al teased with a shrug.

Ed rolled his eyes before stuffing his hands in his pockets. They were going to wait for Mearyn to come out so Al could give her the flowers he'd bought. It wasn't long until he heard a voice that nearly disrupted his peace of mind.

"Well well well, if it isn't Edward Elric, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were a gentleman."

He quickly spun on his heel and stared the dark haired man right in the eye.

"What are you doing here Mustang?" he ground out.

"Can't a man enjoy some beautiful music in the presence of a beautiful woman?" Roy asked as if it were common knowledge.

"Oh please, as if a beautiful woman would ever be caught dead with a bum like you." Ed quipped.

Riza Hawkeye stepped out from behind her superior and offered the two Elric brothers a smile.

"Good to see you boys again." she greeted.

Al stepped forward. "How have you two been? I haven't seen you all in a long time."

He reached down to give Riza a hug and politely shook Roy's hand.

"Things have been good, I'm one step closer to coming out on top." Roy replied nonchalantly.

"Oh yeah, I heard you were promoted to General a while back. Congratulations." Al said.

Roy waved him off, but it didn't erase the pleased look in his face. "It was nothing, really."

"What are you two doing here? I didn't have you pinned as piano lovers." Riza asked.

"Al is more into it than I am, but we know the piano player and she gave us tickets. What are you two doing here, shouldn't you be busy with work General?" Ed asked, the sarcasm rolling off his tongue as he said Mustang's title.

"When you're in my position you get to know people and who am I to deny free tickets." Mustang explained.

Riza rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I won them in a raffle and he was the only who would come with me. But I am interested as to how you know Miss Lorell."

Ed cleared his throat. "She uh... She's Winry's sister-in-law. We met her at the wedding."

The small flash of disdain in the former alchemist's eyes did not go unnoticed by the two military personnel.

"I see, well aren't you lucky. If you ever come across free tickets, I'd be more than happy to take them off your hand." Mustang offered.

"As if."

"Ed, Al is that you?"

Four heads turned to see the woman in question walking towards them.

"What are you guys still doing here?" Mearyn asked.

"We wanted to see you," Al handed her the flowers, "you did a really good job by the way."

"You're sweet Al, but you really shouldn't have." she gushed, admiring her flowers.

"Miss Lorell, you played beautifully." Mustang said, reaching out to grab her hand.

She flushed as he pressed his lips against the top of her hand in a chaste kiss.

Ed frowned. "Mearyn, meet General Roy Mustang," he glared at the man, that small kiss rubbed him the wrong way and he didn't like it, "he was my superior officer while I was in the military. And this is First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye."

"Nice to meet you both." Mearyn said, nodding her head in their direction.

Al checked his watch and sighed. "It's getting kind of late, I've got to head back to the hotel to pack. Do you have a ride home Mearyn?"

She shook her head. "No I usually just walk home."

Ed guffawed. "What? Don't you have a car or something?"

"Even if I had a car, it's not like I know how to drive."

"Everyone should know how to drive." he said.

Mearyn huffed. "Well excuse me for not knowing."

"You know Mearyn, I've got a car and-" Riza started, but she was cut off.

"Fullmetal can you drive?" Mustang asked, wishing he could get out of the habit of calling him by his former name.

"Of course." Ed replied.

"Well then you are more than welcome to borrow my car in order to teach Miss Lorell how to drive, seeing as you're the one questioning her driving abilities."

Ed rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean I guess I could..."

"Good, come by my office and we can work out the details," Mustang nodded, "and it was nice meeting you Miss Lorell, but it's time for us to head out. Hopefully we will meet again."

Mearyn shook both of their hands and watched as they walked down the sidewalk. When they were out of sight, she started to make her way towards her apartment. But she hardly got five steps in before a heavy hand fell onto her shoulder and jerked her back. She tipped her head back to look up at Ed.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"Home, duh."

"You're not going by yourself."

"Oh okay," she bent down to pull off her heels, "I'll just live on the streets then so that way I'll be one with the city."

Al chuckled. "I think he meant that he'd walk you home Mearyn."

She straightened up. "I can walk home by myself you know, I always walk home."

"Don't you remember what we talked about on the train? You need to start being more careful while this nut job is out and about." Ed scolded.

"Alright fine, well then can we just go? My feet are starting to hurt." she pointed down at her heels, they were beginning to pinch her toes.

"Let's go." Ed said, following Mearyn as she began to lead the way. He stopped midway when he didn't hear another set of footsteps. He looked back to see Al still standing there.

"Al aren't you coming?"

He shook his head. "No I really do need to head back to the hotel so I can pack."

"Alright, well I'll see you back in the room then."

Mearyn and Ed continued their walk to her apartment, for the most part it was silent, the only sound coming from her heels clicking on the pavement. Ed coughed.

"Um, you played good today."

She stared at him. "Thanks."

"You look nice too."

"Edward Elric, are you trying to seduce me?" she teased.

"What? No!"

Mearyn laughed and gave him a light shove. "I was just kidding, but thanks."

He rolled his eyes.

"Can we stop real fast?" she asked.

"Sure."

She passed her flowers to him while she reached up and began pulling out various pins from her hair. Mearyn had at least twenty pins in her hands before her hair could finally tumble down her back, causing the strong scent of vanilla to waft up his nose. She let out an audible sigh as she shook out her hair.

"That feels good, I don't like having to pull my hair back. It hurts my scalp."

"The hardships of Mearyn Lorell, life is so hard." he said sarcastically.

"Shut up."

They made small talk the rest of the way to her apartment and when they arrived at her building, she turned to face him. She took her flowers back from him, he'd forgotten that he'd been holding them.

"Thanks for walking me home I guess."

"No problem, I'll see you later."

He waited until she was inside before making his way back towards the hotel. He took off his jacket and sighed, the summer heat was beginning to get him. A loud whistle rang out and he turned around to see Mearyn leaning out of a window on the top floor. She brought her arm back and threw something, it glided in his direction before landing at his feet. It was a paper air plane. He grabbed it off the ground and unfolded the airplane. In loopy hand writing was a small note.

_I'm still expecting those driving lessons. _

_-Mearyn _

Her phone number was scrawled at the bottom of the sheet. Ed looked back up at the window, but it was shut and Mearyn was no where to be seen. He chuckled and folded the piece of paper and stuffed it in his pocket. Ed took as many back streets as he could to get back to the hotel in a timely manner and when he finally got back to their room, he marched right to his bed and flopped onto it.

"I take it she made it home safely." Al said from across the room.

"Yup, safe and sound."

"That's good, I'm glad we were able to meet her, she's fun."

Ed rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

"She's a piece of work, that's for sure."

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**I Am Alys**- haha gosh darn it, thanks for catching my mistake! You're on a roll! Thanks so much!

What do you think? Mustang is surprisingly a hard character to write, so hopefully it turned out okay. If you've got any questions or advice, shoot me a review of message, I'd love to hear it. Thanks guys, see you soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Moving On **

So first off, I'd like to apologize for not updating for such a long time. I've been dealing with a lot of personal things and quite frankly it's been difficult. But I'm ready to try and jump back into things. Please excuse me if this isn't too exciting, think of this chapter as a filler that's here to help me get back into writing. Because trust me, I've still got ideas for this story. Also thank you to **I Am Alys **and **ImJustStupid **for leaving me reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, but I do own Mearyn and her family.

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Mearyn let out a hefty groan as she plopped down onto her sofa, she'd been out most of the afternoon taking care of her grocery shopping and the summer heat and gotten to her. Having to carry all of the grocery bags by herself added to her frustrations. But she was pleased to know she had most of the day to herself, she'd managed to work out her schedule so she could have the day off. Which meant a day of relaxation for her…aside from grocery shopping of course. Her apartment felt stuffy and even with all of the windows open, she still felt hot and sticky. She wiped the back of her neck and brought her hand in front of her to examine the sweat.

"That's disgusting." She grimaced.

The telephone rang and she debated whether or not she wanted to answer or not, but after the third ring she decided to go for it.

"This is Mearyn, may I ask who's calling?"

"Only your favorite sister-in-law."

Mearyn grinned. "Good to hear from you Winry."

"How have you been?" she asked after a quick laugh.

"I've been alright, just typical piano work. How's shacking up with my brother been?"

"As great as it sounds." Winry quipped.

"So you mean it was gross." She replied without missing a beat.

"Absolutely."

Both girls paused to laugh before continuing.

"But really how was your honeymoon?"

"It was wonderful actually, we got to travel all over Amestris, but we spent a majority of our time in Rush Valley. It was great, did you know that they are starting to come out with new-"

Mearyn cut her off. "I'm going to stop you there and just assume it has to do with automail, because you're going to lose me if you keep going."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you aren't as well versed as I am." Winry teased.

Mearyn rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, how have Ed and Al been?"

"They're fine, Ed and Al showed me around Resembool, I never realized how pretty it was. We all took a train to Central together and I ended up bringing them to one of my recitals. Al had to leave though and even though I've only known him for a couple weeks, he's become a good friend. I was pretty sad to see him go. Oh and Ed promised to show me how to drive." She explained.

"That's good, they're both really good guys. How are things in Central?"

"Oh same old stuff, altough there's been a couple of murders and I'm pretty sure they've been by the same person. They kidnap prostitutes and kill them before dressing them up and dumping them for people to find."

"That doesn't sound like same old stuff Mearyn…"

"I wouldn't be concerned, they'll catch this nutcase soon."

Winry sighed. "Well are you being careful?"

"I'm not going to do anything different, Central is a big place and the chances of me getting caught up in that mess are one in a million."

"Mearyn…"

"But for your sake Winry, I'll be more careful. Okay?"

"Thank goodness cause if something….uhhhh...hold on one second."

Mearyn could hear her brother talking in the background and soon Winry started to giggle.

"Listen I've uh…got to go. I'll call you later."

Before Mearyn could get another word in, the line went dead after one more giggle. She stared at the phone in her hand before rolling her eyes and setting it back on the reciever. She returned to her seat and began fanning herself off, but before she could manage to get comfortable, the phone began to ring again.

"Good grief."

She had another debate over the call before getting up and heading to the phone.

"Hello?"

"That's no way to speak to your mother."

Mearyn gulped. "Sorry mother."

"Have you spoken to your brother recently?"

"I actually just got done speaking to his wife."

"Don't talk about that hussy when you're talking to me." She snapped, making Mearyn wince.

"You shouldn't call her that mother because whether you like it or not, Winry is your daughter-in-law now."

"I will never think of that thief as my daughter."

"But mother, she hasn't stolen anything."

"Maybe not yet, but I know it will happen soon. Why would Jason choose to marry some poor girl from Resembool?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe becaues he loves her?" she said, sarcasam dripping from her voice.

"That girl seduced him, Jason will come to his senses soon."

"Mother please stop talking like that, they're in love. Maybe if you and father had gone to their wedding, you could have seen that for yourself."

"Don't get an attitude with me Mearyn, I'm still your mother."

Mearyn looked down at her feet. "Sorry mother."

Her mother huffed. "Please tell Jason to call me if you happen to speak with him."

Yet again, the call ended before she could get in another word. But this time she was more than irritated rather than grossed out like the last phone call. Her mother was not pleased at all that Jason decided to marry Winry. Their family had old money and their mother was positive that her new daughter-in-law was in it for their fortune. She protested the wedding and refused to attend. Mearyn had never really gotten along with her mother and the phone call helped proved why.

"That woman is insufferable." Mearyn grumbled.

She turned on her heel and started walking towards the couch. Two steps in, the phone started to ring. Mearyn had to stop herself from pulling at her hair. She stomped back to the phone.

"Can I help you?" she hissed.

"Jeez, you don't need to bite my head off."

"Ed!"

Immediately, she regretted snapping at him.

"I take it you're not in a good mood?" he asked.

"Oh how could you tell?"

"I've always been pretty intuitive, you know they called me a child prodigy when I was younger."

Mearyn chuckled, Ed's sense of humor was already helping aleviate her bad mood.

"Anyway I was calling to ask you about those driving lessons, when is a good time for you?" he asked.

"I'm free most Saturdays."

"Then let's shoot for the Saturday coming up."

"That sounds great."

They both paused for a moment, just sitting in silence. Should she say something first or should he? Were they done talking? Mearyn cleared her throat.

"Well I'm going to go take a nap, I'll talk to you later."

"Uh yeah, I'll pick you up on Saturday then." He said.

They said their goodbyes and both hung up. Mearyn placed her hands up on her hips and smiled, she was actually really looking forward to Saturday now.

_I'll show him how well I can drive…after he shows me of course._

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Really guys, sorry if this is kinda crappy. I promise the next one will be fun. Mearyn is going to learn how to drive! Leave me a review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Moving On **

Thanks to everyone for reading and following this story guys. I'd like to give a special thanks to **I Am Alys **and **Imabadwriter **for leaving me a review, they are super awesome and really encourage me to write. You guys are great. Well I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and please excuse any grammar errors I have, I can only do so much!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything FMA, but I do own Mearyn.

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"Alright Mearyn you're doing good, start using the brake."

"…"

"Mearyn, the brake."

"…"

"Mearyn use the brake now!"

Ed frantically reached over and grabbed the wheel, jerking it to the right so they wouldn't crash into the curb while Mearyn slammed her foot down on the brake. The car's wheels whined in protest and skidded to a stop. It was silent in the car aside from their heavy breathing, their chests heaving from the shock. Ed's eyes were wide and he was beginning to regret agreeing to show her how to drive. He'd made the right decision deciding to teach her on the outskirts of Central, she would have surely ran someone down. He turned to look at her and he took in her stunned expression.

"Were you even listening to me?" he snapped. "I said use the brakes!"

"I couldn't remember which one was the brake; I thought it would just stop on its own!"

"That's not how cars work Mearyn; you've got to make them stop!"

She whipped her head around and revealed a fierce glare. "Quit yelling at me! You're the teacher, it's your fault!"

"What? No way, I told you which one was the brake pedal!"

Mearyn huffed and looked forward, her knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel so tight.

"Can we take a break?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, scoot over."

After some rearranging, Mearyn and Ed managed to switch seats. She crossed her arms over her chest, obviously pouting, as Ed drove away from Central and towards a calmer area. He took her towards the forest and parked the car when the road ended. They exited the car and started walking aimlessly.

"You know you're lucky you didn't hit anything, Mustang would have killed me if there was even the tiniest scratch." He said.

He was borrowing Mustang's car and was positive his former superior would not take kindly to having his car returned to him destroyed.

Mearyn rolled her eyes. "Of course, be more concerned about the car."

"Oh come on, I wouldn't have let anything happen."

"Whatever you say Mr. Elric."

Ed led her to a small clearing and took a seat; he patted the spot next to him. Mearyn plopped down on the grass and crossed her legs.

"Did you get on the Collection case?" she asked after a few moments of silence passed.

He nodded. "Yeah, had to pull a lot of strings but I managed to get on it."

"How is that coming?"

Ed began twiddling his thumbs. "It is… okay, seeing the pictures of the victims is really disturbing. They women look so serene, they're modeled like dolls and everything, but when you wipe away the makeup and take off the nice clothes, you see all of the bruises. Those women suffered because of this person and then they just show them off like they're some…some prize! It's disgusting to think what humans are capable of, I-"

Mearyn placed a hand on his knee, stopping his rant. He looked down and saw his hands clenched into tight fists; he hadn't realized how angry he was getting. He flexed his fingers before smiling apologetically.

"Sorry, probably more than you wanted to hear."

She shook her head. "No it's fine; if you're passionate about something then you should get to express yourself without anyone getting angry at you for it."

"Yeah, but anyway I hope we catch this guy soon cause he's making me sick."

"I agree."

Ed looked around the surrounding area before his eyes landed on a thick tree. He got on his feet and gestured towards the tree, drawing Mearyn's attention to it.

"I bet I can climb up higher than you can." He goaded.

"I accept your challenge."

She hopped up to her feet and dashed to the tree before he could get another word out.

"You cheater!" he cried, chasing after her.

Mearyn ignored him and started her climb up with Ed right on her tail. He grasped the sturdiest branches and hoisted himself up. In the back of his mind he wondered if his automail leg would hinder his chances at winning, but remembered Winry had recently fashioned him a new light-weight leg. _I will thank her later. _Ed continued to climb up, but he couldn't manage to get around her. It wasn't enough to just get higher than her; he had to get their first too. But soon they had to stop; the limbs had become so thin that they wouldn't support their weight if they'd continued up any higher.

"Wow it's so pretty," she exclaimed, "you can almost see the entire city."

Ed looked down and guessed they were at the very least twenty feet in the air. He felt uneasy seeing her stand on a thin branch with only one arm wrapped around the trunk of the tree. She was leaning forward to get a better look at the city skyline.

"You should be careful; you don't want to fall do you?"

Mearyn waved her free hand in dismissal. "Don't be such a worry wart."

"See if I care when you fall."

The pair stood up in the tree staring out at the skyline for a while until the sun's heat became unbearable. Slowly but surely, Ed started making his way down the tree. It was much easier getting up the tree, getting down was turning out to be a real pain. But he managed to get his two feet flat on the ground without anything major happening, although a small twig got stuck in his hair. He stepped away from the tree and stretched his limbs. A loud crack rang out in the small clearing and Ed whipped around in time to see Mearyn hit the ground.

"Mearyn!"

She was sitting up by the time he reached her side. She wore a dazed look and was cradling her right wrist. Ed could tell from the way it was bent that something was wrong. Mearyn gasped after catching a glimpse of her wrist.

"Oh God, Oh God," she cried, "Ed what do I do? This cannot happen, I need this hand. I can't play the piano without my hand!"

She was beginning to panic and Ed grasped her shoulders, giving her a firm shake.

"Mearyn calm down, it's okay. We're going to take you to a clinic and get it taken care of."

_I wish Al were here, he'd know how to fix this. _

He helped her up and quickly ushered her to the car. Although it looked like a minor injury; he would know because he'd dealt with plenty of injuries from back in the day, Mearyn was freaking out. He got her up on her feet and directed her to the car, opening the door so she could slide in. Ed got into the driver's seat and headed towards Central. Out of the corner he saw Mearyn smack her forehead with the palm of her hand.

"I can't believe this, I'm so stupid," she whined, "I should have listened to you, I should have been more careful. Damn damn damn…"

"Mearyn it is going to be okay, but I will say…"

She shot a dirty look at him. "No. Don't say it."

"I….I"

"Edward Elric, do not say it."

"I told you so."

She groaned and leaned her head against the window.

"You are such a brat." She mumbled.

Ed shook his head and chuckled. He decided not to go to Central Hospital but rather a small clinic by his hotel. He didn't want to deal with the line in the emergency sector of the hospital and the clinic wasn't ever busy, it seemed like the most logical choice. The drive to the clinic was silent aside from the occasional groan from Mearyn. He pulled up in front of the clinic and before he could even pull the key from the ignition, she was out of the car and rushing inside the small building. Rolling his eyes, he got out and followed after her. She was banging on the bell which sat on the front desk when he walked in.

"Mearyn don't do that."

It was like he was talking to a child.

"This is a medical emergency Ed, what if I have to cut my hand off because we waited too long?"

"I'm pretty sure that's not how it works." he said.

"Can I help you?"

They both turned to see a smiling middle aged woman behind the desk. Ed scooted in front of Mearyn so he could talk without her interrupting.

"Hi, my friend fell and hurt her wrist so I was wondering if you could take a look at it. I'm staying right by your clinic and this seemed like a good place to go." He explained.

The woman smiled and nodded. "I'm glad you chose our clinic then, let me fetch my husband and we'll see what he can do."

She retreated to the back and he looked back at Mearyn with a knowing smile.

"See? This isn't an emergency, she isn't freaking out now is she?"

"Whatever." Mearyn huffed.

A kind doctor appeared from the back room. "Now which one of you is my patient?"

"I am!" Mearyn exclaimed, jumping from behind Ed.

"Goodness gracious you're eager, why don't you come with me then. Your friend can come too."

Ed and Mearyn followed the doctor to the back room where Mearyn sat down on the examiner seat and he took a spare chair against the wall. The doctor inspected her wrist and in two minutes flat, he decided it was a sprained wrist.

"What's your name kiddo?" the doctor asked while he un-wrapped some bandages.

"Mearyn Lorell sir."

The doctor chuckled. "You don't have to call me sir, call me Dr. Craig."

"I will sir er," she corrected herself, "I mean Dr. Craig."

Dr. Craig started wrapping up her wrist just as the woman from up front came in.

"Did you say Mearyn Lorell? As in the pianist?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am." She answered.

"How nice, I've heard you on the radio before. And please call me Patty."

In no time at all Mearyn's wrist was wrapped up and they were all up front again. Mearyn started fishing her coin purse out of her pocket, but Patty shook her head and stopped her.

"No don't worry about it, having you here is payment enough." She smiled just as Dr. Craig placed his arm over her shoulder.

"Oh no, I have to pay you guys. You basically saved my life."

"No thanks kiddo, you'll pay us back another day I'm sure of it." Dr. Craig answered.

Ed scratched his chin. "Thank you so much Dr. Craig, you've really helped us out."

Mearyn and Ed left the clinic under the watchful eye of Mr. and Mrs. Craig. They smiled at one another.

"What a _sweet _girl."

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And there you have it. See you guys soon, leave me a review!


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